La fashion industry It has been evolving for a long time, adapting to new eras and needs, providing comfort and warmth or breathability. With an evolution from the most traditional fabrics, such as linen, wool, or cotton, to the newest ones such as polyester and other artificial ones that give new properties at the time. Sometimes there have even been steps backwards, making something from the past a trend again, as we have seen with shoulder pads, bell-bottom pants, etc., which have come and gone.
Since the first devices were launched for flexible makers, and the proliferation of wearables, that is, wearable technology, has opened up a great number of possibilities in this sector that seemed to be stuck in fabrics and nothing else. Now technology can also be part of clothing designs, providing a striking style or extended functionalities to clothing, such as sensors to alert us of an event, give greater visibility, and so on. The possibilities are endless. And that is what we are going to talk about here, what I have called "open softwear".
Arduino LilyPad
El Arduino LilyPad It is a board with a microcontroller such as Arduino UNO, but designed specifically for textile electronics projects, also known as e-textiles or wearables. Its circular shape and compact size make it ideal for being sewn into clothing, thus creating interactive and functional clothing.
was one of the first projects that reached the hands of the makers, although before this there were already companies working on flexible electronics and other projects specifically to carry our devices with us wherever we go.
The possibilities with the Arduino LilyPad are almost endless, given that its core chip It can be programmed with Arduino IDE to create the sketchers we imagine, creating everything from smart clothing that can change color, emit light, sound, monitor the health of the wearer, etc., as well as creating other interactive fashion accessories or jewelry, smart toys or stuffed animals, to interactive works of art…
This device had a ATmega328 MCU similar to Arduino UNO, but with a more compact PCB design to serve the tasks I mentioned above. It also allows working at low voltage, from 2V, and is compatible with small batteries or portable power supplies to easily power it. It also has a series of input and output pins for programming, and is made of more flexible materials.
The advancement of flexible electronics: foldables
La flexible electronics Flexible electronics represent a revolution in the way we design and use electronic devices. Unlike traditional rigid circuits, flexible electronics use materials that can be bent, stretched and deformed without losing their functionality or breaking, as can happen with conventional electronics. This should make them more resistant not only in terms of the substrates used, but also so that the conductive tracks, solders, and so on can also flex.
To make this possible, the manufacturing of electronic components on flexible substrates, such as thin plastic or metal. These components can be integrated circuits, sensors, actuators and other electronic elements. The key to this technology lies in the ability of these materials to adapt to different shapes and surfaces, which allows for the creation of more versatile and adaptable electronic devices, and can even be printed using 3D and 2D printers, or even drawn on with conductive ink markers…
Thanks to this new technology we can see new possibilities that were previously impossible, from new devices or wearable accessories, both to monitor health, be interactive, make payments, interact with other elements or based on certain stimuli, etc. A new smart trend that is advancing little by little, and is opening a gap in the market, not only with the wearables that we already know, but also with many other projects that will arrive soon.
The Materials employed For this flexible technology, the range of materials is from plastics such as PET, PEN, PI, and thin metal foils for the substrates, to metals such as copper and silver for conductive tracks, and even polymers such as PEDOT:PSS, as well as equally flexible insulators such as polyimide, Kapton, and other rubbers or plastics. Flexible wafers have also been achieved in semiconductors themselves, with polycrystalline silicon, metal oxides and advanced semiconductor polymers. Other very promising materials are now also being used and developed, such as those based on carbon nanotubes, liquid metals, antennas on flexible glass, etc.
Despite these advances, Technology still has some challenges to overcome, not only reliability, which has been one of the most critical points since its origin, but also lowering manufacturing costs and improving the properties of these materials for more efficient and powerful electronics.
Resources for “open software” or “smart clothes” projects
To finish, let's see some resources we have at our disposal to be able to carry out our open software projects that you may not have known about:
Flexible screens and LED strips
This type of Screen can be folded and even rolled up like a newspaper or folded like a sheet of paper. These displays use organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) or similar technologies to create high-quality images on flexible surfaces. These types of panels can be placed on fabrics, as they will adapt to the desired shape.
You also have flexible wiring, both for connecting LCD screens and for image sensor modules, etc.:
Conductive and insulating fabrics
These Fabrics are coated with conductive materials, such as metallic threads or conductive polymers, which allows them to conduct electricity. They are used to create smart clothing, touch sensors, etc. For example, I have used it in some projects, to create a Faraday cage and isolate some element from the waves. Of course, you also have the fabrics on the opposite side, that is, the insulating fabrics…
Conductive ink
Similar to ink from a ballpoint pen, but with conductive properties. It is used to print electronic circuits directly onto various materials, such as paper, plastic or even skin (many of which are non-toxic). This allows for rapid prototyping and custom devices.
FLORA by Adafruit
FLORA is a development platform designed specifically for textile electronics projects, i.e. the great alternative to Arduino LilyPad. It includes a microcontroller board, sensors and connectors designed to be sewn directly into fabric. It is ideal for creating interactive clothing and smart accessories. Although, if you prefer, you can also choose the original LilyPad…
Flexible sensors
These flexible sensors They are made of soft materials and can detect a wide range of stimuli, such as pressure, temperature, humidity, light and movement. They are used in medical, sports and consumer applications. Above I have left you two examples that you can buy…
Flexible PCBs or FPCs
The Flexible Printed Circuits (FPC) They are the basis of many flexible electronic devices. They are made from flexible materials and allow different electronic components to be connected, adapting to curved and contoured shapes, as I mentioned earlier.
Flexible batteries and flexible solar panels
These Batteries and solar panels are designed to be integrated into flexible and portable devices. Flexible batteries provide power to devices, while solar panels allow them to be recharged autonomously. Perfect complements for the above devices, which need power to operate…